update

Nigerian army accuses Sahara
Reporters of being Boko Haram's
media arm The Nigerian Army in a statement released on its
website yesterday December 27th accused online
media hub, Sahara Reporters of being the
propaganda media for terrorism & Boko Haram in
Nigeria. Find the military statement below... The attention of the
Nigerian Army has been
drawn to a publication on the website of
Sahara Reporters with the caption "Nigerian
Army Presents Unverified "Lt Col" To Refute
Petition Against Military Hierarchy". It is
noteworthy but sad and unfortunate that Sahara Reporters has committed itself to
support for terrorism and fighting Nigeria, its
people, its military and particularly the
Nigerian Army." Before Sahara Reporters published their purported
document described as petition from Lt Col
Wende, a serving Commanding Officer, the
Nigerian Army conducted a thorough investigation
on the document involving other security and
intelligence agencies. The process confirmed that the serving officer
was not the author of the
petition. Yesterday, the officer dissociated
himself from the so-called petition in a press
conference he personally attended. While
reputable media organizations were on hand to
engage the officer, Sahara Reporters being a faceless medium,
preferred to remain faceless and
was not represented. Sahara Reporters sadly, but
predictably, and in fulfilment of its support for
terrorism published in its website a fabrication in
which it referred to the officer as "unverified".
How absurd! Sahara Reporters has strived hard to present itself
as a propaganda medium for terrorism and Boko
Haram in particular. It is with this in mind, that
the Nigerian Army conducted a press conference in
Maiduguri in which the officer who appeared for
the press conference is Lt Col Wende, a serving officer of the
Nigerian Army. Since the officer has
clearly dissociated himself from the document, it
makes sense that the so-called petition is the
handiwork of Sahara Reporters. With time,
terrorism in Nigeria and Sahara Reporters will be
defeated by the collective will of the good people of Nigeria. OLAJIDE
LALEYE Brigadier General
Director, Army Public Relations